My hotel served breakfast from 7.30 AM so I was able to park up at Ham Wall by 8.30 AM on Wednesday morning.Unlike the day before the weather was superb it was sunny,warm and above all it was not windy.A great day to get some shots then.Well you would think so but as often happens when the conditions are great for taking shots you don't do so well.I didn't know this as I walked down the main path to Shapwick Heath NR with a smile on my face.
There were the usual Black tailed Godwits and a lone Dunlin on the Meare Heath scrape but far too far off for my lens.I then headed to the Meare Heath hide but after an hour all I'd seen and taken shots of was of a distant Cuckoo and when it eventually flew off I was in zombie mode and missed getting a decent flight shot.Oh Dear ! !
I then headed to the viewing platform near the Noah hide where you can see the nesting Marsh Harriers. I saw them OK during an hour's patient wait but they never came close so no shots.I did have a bit of luck when I popped into the Noah hide just as a Grey Heron had caught a huge fish (apparently a 2lb. Roach).How on earth it swallowed the fish I don't know.I bet it didn't need to eat again for a couple of weeks.
As I headed back to the car park to have lunch I noticed a GW Egret was on the Meare Heath scrape also having lunch.It was interesting to see that it was a courting bird with a black bill and with red tibias.
After lunch I headed to Ham Wall and ended up at a small hide at the end of a long path.I'd gone there because the day before the Hobbies seemed to favour that area but after a very pleasant stay for a couple of hours I never saw one which was surprising as it was Hobby weather and there were plenty of Dragonflies about.
When I sat in the hide right in front of me in the reeds was a GW Egret but it flew off before I'd raised the camera.The reed bed at the back of the hide had a couple of nesting Marsh Harriers but surprise surprise they didn't come close.A Kingfisher was nesting in the bank of a small dyke that ran along the reed bed but it was nesting my side of the of the dyke and I couldn't see it so no shots.
Even more annoying was a Cetti's Warbler that was nesting some where in the bushes that were around a small pond at the back of the hide.It's constantly called out it's challenge to me " Hey Tog You can't get a shot of me" and it was right I didn't get one shot of it despite it coming close several times.It wasn't all bad news I did get to see several Bitterns and a few GW Egrets flying around.A great spot shame I didn't do as well as I hoped.
On Thursday morning I had to abandon my plans to spend the morning at the Westhay NR before heading home because the forecast was very poor.As I left the hotel car park the first raindrop landed on my windscreen and it never stopped all the way home.A very good couple of days though.Great place.
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